Utah Trail Running
In recent years, my summer exercise time has been increasingly occupied by running on dirt roads and trails, which seems to be easier on my aging body than pounding the asphalt. Although I participate in few races, I have listed here all of the Utah off-pavement running events of which I am aware. Please check this information with the race director to be sure that it is current. Also, please let me know about any errors or races that aren't included.For more information on local and nearby trail runs, check out the Ultra Running Magazine calendar page, which lists trail runs across the country, along with ratings of terrain (1 = "flat or nearly flat", ... , 5 = "mountainous, total climb more than 250 feet per mile") and surface (1 = "paved or very smooth surface", ... , 5 = "very rough trail"). Other sources of information about trail races around the country and world are American Trail Running Association, Ultramarathon Running.
Updates:
4/09/15 - This is a first draft. Please let me know of any additions that should be made or errors that you see. (hanscom 'at' cs 'dot' utah 'dot' edu)
9/04/15 - Added date for TUNA Mountain Challenge - Oct 4.
2015 Utah Off-Pavement Running Event Schedule
date race start dist. description Sat, Feb 14 Moab's Red Hot 55K and 33K 8:00/8:30am 55/33 km Courses start at Gemini Trailhead north of Moab and end at Poison Spider Trailhead on Colorado River. All on dirt jeep roads. Sat, Mar 14 Inter FC Annual 5k & 10k 9:30am 5/10 km The course follows a mixture of well maintained dirt roads and single track trail, as it winds itself through Wheeler Farm. Fri & Sat, March 20-21 Antelope Island Buffalo Run 9:00/8:00am Sat, 6:00am Sat, noon Friday 25/50 km, 50/100 mi A 25-k loop on trails around the north end of Antelope Island for the 25 and 50K; a different 50 mile course in the same area for the 50 and 100 mile. Wed, Apr 8 Wasatch Trail Run Series Race #1 6:30 5 or 10-20 km Corner Canyon Fri, Apr 10 Zion 100 6:00am 100 mi, 100 km, 50 km Courses start and end in Virgin town park and follow trails on the Gooseberry, Grafton, and Guacamole mesas. Many spectacular views of Zion National Park and surroundings along the course. Sat, Apr 11 Timp Shadow 5K 8:00am 5 km Course is a loop starting at the Bonneville Shoreline trailhead in Provo Canyon. Contact Tyson at 801-735-2640 for more information. Sat, Apr 18 Desert Rats Trail Running Festival 6:30am 52 mi, 50 km, 26 mi Courses are in challenging desert terrain on the Kokopelli and adjacent trails. Wed, Apr 22 Wasatch Trail Run Series Race #2 6:30 5 or 10-20 km Corner Canyon Fri, Apr 24 Salt Flats 100 7:00am 100/50 mi This race starts and ends at the Bonneville Speedway, and follows roads and trails around the "mind-bending" terrain of the Salt Flats, Island Mountains, and Mud-Flats. Sat, May 2 Amasa 6.5 mi, 9.5 mi, and 14.5 mi 8:00am 6.5/9.5/14.5 mi Courses start and end at Kane Creek Trailhead south of Moab and follow loops on jeep roads and single tracks in the Amasa Back area. Wed, May 6 Wasatch Trail Run Series Race #3 6:30 5 or 10-20 km Corner Canyon Sat, May 9 Bonneville Shoreline Trail 5K 9:00am 5 km Course follows the firebreak road and the Bonneville Shoreline Trail from Centerville to Bountiful. Sat, May 16 Grand Canyon Ultras 6:00am 100/50 mi, 50/25 km A run through remote terrain in the Kaibab National Forest along the north rim of the Grand Canyon. Wed, May 20 Wasatch Trail Run Series Race #4 6:30 5 or 10-20 km Corner Canyon Sat, May 30 Timp Trail Marathon & Half Marathon 6:00am/8:00am 27 mi/13 mi The courses follow mountain trails and fire roads along the west face of Mount Timpanogos. Fri, June 5 Bryce Canyon Ultras 6:00am 100/50 mi, 50 km, half marathon A scenic mountain course that runs along the western edge of the Paunsaugunt Plateau, offering spectacular views above and below the Bryce hoodoos. Sat, June 6 Squaw Peak 50 Mile Trail Run 5:00am 50 mi Vivian Park in Provo Canyon, down the Provo River Trail, across the Squaw Peak Road to Hobble Creek Canyon, up to the Great Western Trail, over Windy Pass, and back down Provo South Fork to Vivian Park. Sat, June 6 Vigor Utah Solitude Trail Series Race #1 7:00am 3/5/8/11 mi Courses are trails around the Solitude Ski Area. Sat, June 13 Wahsatch Steeplechase 6:00am 15 mi Memory Grove to the summit of Black Mountain along a sometimes narrow and very exposed trail; return via City Creek road and trail. Sat, June 13 Park City Tail Series Race #1 8:00am 5 km Trail run in Round Valley. Sat, June 13 16 Crossings 6:30am 20 km A run up Birch Creek Canyon and back. Wed, June 17 Wasatch Trail Run Series Race #5 6:50pm 5 or 10-20 km Solitude Wed, June 24 Wasatch Trail Run Series Race #6 6:50pm 5 or 10-20 km Alta Sat, June 27 Logan Peak Trail Run 6:00am 28 mi Trail run on singletrack and 4wd roads with 7261 feet of elevation gain/loss in the Cache National Forest, Logan, Utah. Wed, July 1 Wasatch Trail Run Series Race #7 6:50pm 5 or 10-20 km Snowbird Sat, July 4 Alpine to Slickrock 5:00am 50/42 mi Courses start at base of LaSal Mountains and cross three 11,000 foot passes before dropping down to finish at the Slick Rock trailhead. Wed, July 8 Wasatch Trail Run Series Race #8 6:50pm 5 or 10-20 km Alta Fri, July 10 Capitol Reef Ultras 6:00am 100/50 mi, 50 km, half marathon Courses start at Red River Ranch near Torrey and go through slickrock and up onto the high plateau with pines and aspens. Sat, July 11 Skyline 50 6:00am 50 mi Course starts at the bottom of the Powder Mountain road and circles the north end of the Ogden Valley. In the process it goes over Willard, Ben Lomond, and Lewis peaks, drops down to Pineview Reservoir, and finishes along the trail by the reservoir to the park in Eden. Sat, July 11 Park City Tail Series Race #2 8:00am 10 km Trail run in Round Valley. Sat, July 11 Battle at Big Springs 8K 8:00am 8 km Course is a loop from Big Springs State Park up the South Fork of Provo Canyon above Vivian Park. Sat, July 11 Vigor Utah Solitude Trail Series Race #2 7:00am 3/5/8/11 mi Courses are trails around the Solitude Ski Area. Sat, July 11 Canyon to Canyon Half Marathon 7:00am 13 and 6 mi Out and back from East Canyon Resort to Jeremy Ranch on a dirt road. Sat, July 11 The Dam 15-miler 7:00pm 15 mi A twilight race along the trail beside Deer Creek Reservoir from Soldier Hollow to the dam and back. Wed, July 22 Wasatch Trail Run Series Race #9 6:50pm 5 or 10-20 km Alta Sat, July 25 Speedgoat 50K 6:30 am 50 km 50 kilometers of trails around Alta and Snowbird, with lots of vertical. Wed, July 29 Wasatch Trail Run Series Race #10 6:50pm 5 or 10-20 km Snowbird Fri, July 31 Tushar Ultras 6:00am 100 mi, 93 km, half marathon A challenging mountain course that starts and finishes at Eagle Point Ski Resort. Over 30,000 vertical feet of climb in the 100 miler. Sat, Aug 1 Jupiter Peak Steeplechase 8:00am 15 mi Park City Mountain Resort, up Thaynes Canyon to Jupiter Peak, along the ridge to Scotts Pass, and back down Thaynes to the start. Sat, Aug 1 Kat'cina Mosa 100K 3:00am 100 km Up the Left Fork of Hobble Creek Canyon, Pole Heaven road, and Rock Canyon to the Wasatch crest. Down to Big Springs in Little South Fork of the Provo. Up to Windy Pass and east to Little Valley on the Great Western Trail. Back over the ridge and down the Right Fork of Hobble Creek. Wed, Aug 5 Wasatch Trail Run Series Race #11 6:50pm 5 or 10-20 km Solitude Sat, Aug 8 Park City Tail Series Race #3 8:00am 15 km Trail run in Round Valley. Sat, Aug 8 El Vaquero Loco 7:00am 25/50 km Out and back run in National Forest near Afton, Wyoming. Sat, Aug 15 Skyline Mountain Marathon 6:00am 14/26 mi, 50 km Marathon starts at North Fork Park in Liberty, climbs to the shoulder of Ben Lomond, drops down to North Ogden Pass, climbs up Lewis Peak, drops down to Pineview Reservoir, follows the trail along the reservoir to the park in Eden. Half marathon starts at North Ogden Pass and follows the same route to the finish. Wed, Aug 19 Wasatch Trail Run Series Race #12 6:50pm 5 or 10-20 km Alta Sat, Aug 22 Vigor Utah Solitude Trail Series Race #3 7:00am 3/5/8/11 mi Courses are trails around the Solitude Ski Area. Sat, Aug 22 Bryce Canyon Rim Run 9:00am 5 mi Starts and ends at Ruby's Inn. Follows rolling dirt trails near Bryce Canyon National Park. Wed, Aug 26 Wasatch Trail Run Series Race #13 6:50pm 5 or 10-20 km Snowbird Sat, Aug 29 Gruesome Grizzly 8K 8:00am 8 km Course is a loop from Canyon Glen Park in Provo Canyon. Sat, Sept 5 Little Grand Canyon Marathon 6:30am 26/13 mi, 10 km A point-to-point race starting just south of Huntington State Park and following dirt roads down through BuckHorn Wash to the San Rafael Swell. Fri, Sept 11 Wasatch Front 100 5:00am 100 mi Layton to Midway (Soldier Hollow) along the Wasatch crest. Sat, Sept 12 Mid Mountain Marathon 8:00am ~26 mi A point-to-point race starting at Deer Valley, passing through Park City Mountain Resort, and ending at the Canyons. The course follows the newly completed Mid Mountain Trail, which is all at about 8000 feet in elevation. Sat, Sept 12 Hidden Peak Challenge 10:00am 6 km Hill climb up the Snowbird ski area. Sat, Sept 19 Park City Tail Series Race #4 8:00am 13 mi Trail run in Round Valley. Fri, Sept 25 Bear 100 6:00am 100 mi Logan to Bear Lake. A cool autumn loop through the pines, golden aspen and red maples of the Wasatch/Bear River Range. Sat, Sept 26 Elk 50K & Half 6:00am/8:00am 50 km, 13 mi The courses follow mountain trails and fire roads along the west face of Mount Timpanogos. Sat, Sept 26, and Sun, Sept 27 North Face Endurance Challenge various 50 mi, 50 km, marathon, etc Several races of various distances on the Park City trails. Sun, Oct 4 TUNA Mountain Challenge Duathlon 10:00am 10 mi The course will be a 5K run followed by a 10K bike on the Soldier Hollow cross country ski trails. Teams or individual entries are welcome. Shorter distances for kids. Register at the start before 9:30. This is a fun event, with (white elephant) prizes provided by competitors. Contact Mark Keeney at 801-597-3973 or keeneyfam 'at' comcast 'dot' net for more details. Sat, Oct 10 Antelope Island 50K and 100K 8:00am and 6:00am 50/100 km A 50 km loop on trails down the west side of Antelope Island, then back up the east side. Start and finish are at the White Rock Bay trailhead. Sat, Oct 10 Trial @ Trail 51 15K 8:00am 15 km Course is a loop from the North Orem Bonneville Shoreline trailhead. Fri, Oct 16 Pony Express Trail 50 and 100 Mile Run 8:00am 50 or 100 mi This is a no-fee fun run. No aid tations, no markings, no awards, no sponsors. Just 100 miles of dirt roads. You must have your own support crew! Sat, Oct 17 Corner Canyon Ultra Trail Run 50K/25K 6:00/7:00am 50/25 km The course follows many trails throughout Corner Canyon. To name a few: Ghost Falls, Clarks Trail, Ann.s Trail, Canyon Hollow, Oak Hollow, Bonneville Shoreline, and the famous Widowmaker climb. Sat, Nov 7 Moab Trail Marathon & Half Marathon 9:00am 13/26 km The course wanders through canyons and along ridges on trails and dirt roads around Moab. One "fixed rope section" adds some adventure to the course. National Trail Marathon Championship.